Stan McNutt is continuing to prepare the Blaine County Commission for a major transition in county governance, specifically the hiring of a full-time county administrator.
McNutt, who has more than 30 years of experience in city and county management, has worked off-and-on for the county since January 2006 to enhance its own management. In December, McNutt was hired as the interim county administrator and is responsible for helping the county prepare for, and eventually hire, a permanent county administrator—a position that has never existed in Blaine County.
That transition, which McNutt said "will be a lot of work and take a lot of time," will likely transpire in April.
On Tuesday, McNutt discussed the transition with the commissioners during a working lunch at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.
"You're working us a like a rented mule," County Commissioner Tom Bowman jokingly told McNutt.
While complex and time consuming, the transition, once complete, will be "very positive," County Commissioner Larry Schoen said.
"Ultimately it will benefit everybody within the county and the people who we serve," Schoen said. "This unifies the commission from a management point of view."
Essentially, the county administrator will assist the county commission with its professional duties, supervise the various county departments, and act as a liaison between the County Commission and other county departments.
Eventually the commissioners will need to draft a series of specific duties and expectations for the new county administrator, a process McNutt is directing.
McNutt is being paid $73 an hour for his services and receiving $800 a month as a housing stipend. The county has budgeted $100,000 for the current fiscal year to pay for an interim and full time administrator.
The County Commission has been juggling several different options to enhance its own management and public relations for the past 11 months.
McNutt plans to meet with the County Commission on a weekly basis to adequately prepare the board for the transition, which McNutt said will be a "wonderful thing."
